While jockeys and owners competed for top purses at the Iroquois Steeplechase, the perennial favourite event of the 85-year-old tradition was the parade of foxhounds. More than 20 foxhounds, a breed trained to run alongside horses and hunters, took to the turf course on Saturday to kick off race day as fans cheered and took photos.
The huntsman and his team, known as whippers-in, had the difficult task of keeping the hounds on course, especially when distracted by tens of thousands of spectators and their tailgating food. One hound loved the attention so much that she veered off course, said Charles Montgomery, master and huntsman with the Mells Foxhounds. “She had the best time. She loved going into the beer tents,” he said. She returned to the beer tent the next year and is now not invited back.
The Iroquois Steeplechase, one of the premier American steeplechase races, awarded $730,000 in purses on a grass turf course with hurdles. The Nashville race was founded by members of the Hillsboro Hounds. Steeplechase racing and fox hunting are wedded together, said Stephen Heard, a trustee of the Iroquois Steeplechase and member of the Mells Foxhounds. The tradition came from the British Isles, where horses raced from church steeple to steeple and jumped obstacles while hunting with dogs.
With 25,000 spectators eating and drinking in tents and stands, the dogs needed time to adjust to the noise and smells. “I took one dog last year and he heard the speakers and he said, ‘This is not for me,'” said Charles Montgomery. When a child held out a fried chicken leg through the rails, it was a temptation no hound could resist. “You couldn't fault Brightly for stopping and having a snack,” said Boo Montgomery, a whipper-in.
Charles Montgomery said he usually brings veteran hunting hounds to guide younger dogs. The hounds wear GPS-equipped collars when hunting and at the racetrack, which came in handy last year when a dog got spooked and ran into a nearby wooded park. While the racetrack is not their normal environment, the hounds seem to enjoy the challenge, said Boo Montgomery. “It's a great exposure for hunting to get to see these hounds and the horses,” she said. “It's nice to be able to show off.”
